Gray Eyes Tell Little Lies
by The Scorpion Sleeps
Summary: A collection of one-shots for my main story 'The Night Has Eyes'. Rated M for language and content, the story takes place during a zombie apocalypse.
1. Chapter 1

'Every moment, every event of a man's life plants something in his soul...'

(Takes place after chapter 11, Merle's POV.)

The pain in his thigh was a dull ache, nothing compared to how it had seared when Cassidy and his brother cauterized the wound, Merle Dixon was far from a pussy but even he would be fucking glad if he never had to go through that pain again.

After they had bandaged him up his baby brother had quietly asked Merle about his stash, slipping him some heavy duty painkillers, they'd done it behind Cassidy's back – It had been the only way to get Merle to take them, he wasn't gonna appear weak in front of no woman.

What pissed him off was the fact that his head was a blur and no matter how he tried, Merle couldn't even sit up straight in the seat of the truck without the whole world spinning. The fifth time he'd tried it Cassidy had looked about ready to strangle him, instead she had slid down beside him and told him he'd lost a lot of blood, he had a fever and the only way for him to get his act together, was to get some sleep. She may or may not have squeezed his hand after that, running her thumb over his skin, Merle wasn't sure, things had been hazy.

He'd kicked her out of the truck all the same, verbally at least, cussed her out something fierce and it had the desired effect, she got out and slammed the door shut. He was no weakling, he was a fucking Dixon, didn't need no coddling.

That had been the beginning of the hell that followed, Merle would wake up sweating, delirious and searching desperately for something that wasn't there. Daryl had had to restrain him, the ruckus they caused had been loud enough to get the other group antsy.

He couldn't remember what it was he was searching for, he only knew that it wasn't there and it was driving him insane, finally Merle had slipped into unconsciousness once more, the fever sinking it's clutches deeper into him.

During his stages of fading in and out of consciousness, there was one thing that stuck, one thing he remembered. Every time he came to, every time the dread filled him it only relented once he saw her face – Cassidy.

Relief would flood him and Merle would remember why he'd dreaded not seeing her, in his dreams she was being torn apart by walkers, her blood coating the asphalt and she'd looked right at him, looked at him with those gray eyes of hers, they haunted him.

The fever broke not long after it had surfaced and his head hadn't been as fogged up anymore.

He kept quiet about the terrors in his dreams, though Merle knew his baby brother probably had it figured out, Daryl was quick to put two and two together, always had been. Daryl would probably be the only one who wouldn't be surprised about the fact that Merle was feeling guilty about what had happened, that he cared.

He'd cared about people, his ma, drinking buddies, hell even a woman or two he could stand. But it wasn't the same, what he was feeling, what gnawed at him was uncomfortably close to how he felt about his brother. When ever something happened to Daryl, it would gnaw at him the same way.

It was worse then how he'd felt when those bastards back at the motel got their hands on Cassidy, then it had been rage surging through him, mostly. This had been worse, because what had happened at the motel hadn't been his fault, this, this shit was.

So he gritted his teeth and suffered through it, Merle knew he'd been close to dragging Cassidy down with him, how close they had both been to dying out on that highway, all cause he'd lost his temper – About the fucking heat of all things.

The damn woman went and made it worse when he woke up one time and found himself laying with his head in her lap, her fingers gently trailing through his hair, tears dripping down from her cheeks on his face. It unsettled the hell out of him, nobody did that, nobody cried for him.

He was a Dixon for fuck sake, a no good Dixon brother – Bitch was messing with his head.

And yet he couldn't muster the anger, couldn't open his mouth and be cruel to her, cause it felt nice, felt nice having somebody care about the likes of him and if that made him a selfish prick – So fucking what.

It hit him the third day after the events on the highway, when he was sitting clenching his jaw and fists together as Cassidy changed his bandages, the woman had never let him down, had always had his back, even in the beginning. She wasn't blood, wasn't kin. But damn if she didn't treat him like he was her friend.

She wouldn't spread her legs for him, called him out on his bullshit and could be a real fucking bitch to be around seeing as it didn't fly with her, but she was alive and damn if he wasn't thankful.

And didn't that say it all.

* * *

I don't own The Walking Dead universe, I just play in it.

This is the first one-shot from my main story 'The Night Has Eyes' it will follow that storyline, give or take. It won't be updated weekly, sorry about that, but it will contain snippets from the main story, things I felt didn't fit into the flow or just parts that were to short. That being said I hope you will all enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think, also! A very varm thank you to Brazen Hussy, this one is for you! :)


	2. Chapter 2

'**Men are capable of every wickedness…' **

**-: **_Dedicated to Merle Dixon _**:-**

(Takes place in-between chapter 9-10)

**Warning for mature content, violence, racism and extreme language. You have been warned.**

Before the world had gone to shit Cassidy had been a heavy sleeper, the one to sleep for as long as she could during work days and the one to stay in bed till her cats demanded she get up and feed them on days off. She had always been the one to fall asleep the second she got into a car and only ever wake up from being shaken once they arrived at their destination.

Once the dead started to walk – Let's just say Cassidy didn't get to sleep in much anymore.

Now in the comfort of the truck, tucked in between the two Dixon brothers she had her eyes closed and her body slumped to the side, yet she was still aware of her surroundings, if one of the brothers moved, if Merle accelerated or slowed down, took a sharp turn or managed to hit every single bump on the road. Their voices were nothing more than soothing background noise, distant enough that she didn't snap up anything from their conversations, she was in the blissful in-between.

Yet she must have slipped further then intended because she was abruptly jarred awake by Merle's booming laughter, it shook her entire frame, which was odd in itself until she managed a glance up and noticed that she was practically lying in the man's lap.

"…Damn pervert." A grumble to her left let her know Daryl was awake but his comment only served to send Merle into another row of laughter, groggily rubbing her eyes Cassidy straightened as much as she was able, seeing as Merle's left arm was hindering her.

"Well if it aint sleepin' beauty an' Daryl didn't even have tha kiss ya!" Merle smiled widely down at her before lifting his arm so she could duck under it, once Cassidy was sitting straight on her seat she couldn't resist the urge to stretch out her stiff joints and by doing so she caught both brothers glancing her way. – Though Daryl was far more discreet about it then his brother.

"Whatever you two were on about… I'm better off not knowin'." Cassidy turned her attention to the quiet car stereo and felt all kinds of sentimental, she loved nothing better than blazing music out through the speakers of her own truck while speeding down a dirt road back home. Leaning forward she fingered the buttons and tape slate before her wrist caught her attention, her brother's name spelt out across it, the tattoo still surprised her as did the one above her breast; it was all so new, smiling she caressed her thumb over Ben's name.

_Miss that great big smile of his.._

"Miss music… Shoulda' grabbed my tapes, then we'd at least have something to listen to." The local radio stations had shut down just a week or two after the outbreak, emergency channels only sent the same old message and whatever privately broadcasted channel they came across it was usually some peckerwood spouting his or her version of the Lords word. To say it grew tiresome quickly was an understatement.

"Wha I wouldn' give for some Skynyrd right 'bout now." Cassidy smiled over at Merle, she was a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd herself.

ooo

"God and guns! Keep us strong! That's what this country was founded on! Well, we might as well give up and run if we let them take our God and guns!" Both Cassidy and Kyle sang along with the lyrics, Kyle even leaning over to raise the volume on the car stereo. "Out here in my neck of the woods, where God is great and guns are good!"

Grinning from ear to ear Cassidy returned her attention to the road ahead, it wasn't likely they would come across anyone this far out of town but she'd rather not risk it. It had been a good three weeks, just what she and her brother had needed, three weeks out in the wild, hiking and just getting away from it all. Kyle who was otherwise attached by the hip with either laptop or cell phone had left both behind and Cassidy had done the same with her cell, people at work had known where they were going and hell the whole Forster family had been hunting and hiking for years.

Personally Cassidy was fonder of hiking, no rules, regulations or licenses; she left all that to Ben. Her nana used to say that there was no problem a hike couldn't solve and if you got back with your problem unsolved, well.. Then you were shit out of luck!

"Oh, there was a time we ain't forgot! You could rest all night with your doors unlocked but there ain't nobody safe no more! So you say your prayers and you thank the Lord for that peacemaker in the dresser drawer!" Kyle continued on singing as he lay back in the seat, one foot resting out the window of the passenger seat. He'd placed her shoebox full of tapes on his stomach and was currently working through them with a satisfied expression on his face, there was nothing her brother liked more than music.

And it was a damn impressive collection!

They always had a good time together, her and Kyle. Getting away from work was a blessing, she loved her work and thanked God and her family for it every day but there was just so much you could take of drunks and dumb-as-doornail tourist before you needed to get away or risk putting a bullet in someone's head. Didn't really matter what they decided to do together, one summer she'd rented an RV and dragged Kyle along on a road trip. It was one of her fondest memories.

"The hell is that..?" Kyle nudged Cassidy and she turned her attention to what her brother was pointing at, at first she thought it was someone taking care of road kill but no, not if you took into account the red smear around the mouth or the fact that as they got closer it wasn't no animal lying at the side of the road, it was a person.

"What the…"

ooo

"The hell we need a radio for girl, got ourselves our very own songbird right here!" Merle grinned over at Cassidy again as he slung his arm over her shoulder, that was one thing Cassidy could admit to anyone that she liked about Merle, once you got past his tough exterior and worse mouth he was damn friendly – In his own way.

The road stretched out in front of them and as they kept on driving Cassidy and Merle kept up most of the conversation, Merle occasionally getting a jab at Daryl and was rewarded with his younger brother's bark or muttered response. When the conversation slowly but surely drifted towards Merle's more… colorful opinions and humor, Daryl shut up.

"So, what ya call a woman with a black eye, hmm?" Merle asked her and Cassidy simply gave him a bored look, most of the 'jokes' and such he'd told her she'd heard about a hundred times already. "A quick learner!"

"How 'bout a woman with no black eye?" It seemed Cassidy took too long to answer so Merle did it for her while giving her that shit-eating grin of his. "A damn good cook."

"Now this one ya know! Why do women have smaller feet than men, hm? So they can stand closer to tha kitchen-sink!" At that Cassidy gave him a smile of her own and raised an eyebrow.

"Just remember Merle, that's where all the knives are…"

"Aw come now sweetlip, ya gonna prove my gran'da right! He said ya can't trust a creature tha bleeds for a week and don't die!" At that Cassidy couldn't help but laugh out loud, she'd heard that one as well, usually from men with a few divorces under their belt. One thing Cassidy knew for sure, if you bruised easily you should get the hell out of her line of work and for that matter the hell out of Georgia.

"Now, a nigger an' a spic fall from a tree. Who hits the ground first?" This time Merle didn't settle for answering for her and so Cassidy sighed, resigned to her faith.

"The Mexican, black guy never makes it to the ground cause the rope stops him." Chuckling Merle nods in approval.

"Right ya are sweetlip, so wha' did the sheriff call the nigger who'd been shot 15 times?"

"…Worst case of suicide he'd ever seen. Merle, I worked in a bar for 10 years, I've heard them all." Seeing a sign for a motel a few up the road Merle didn't look over at her but kept his attention on the road, it was one of the few things she'd let slip about her old life. Not that she deliberately avoided talking or answering about it, not like the brothers asked any neither.

You just didn't stick your nose into other people's lives, they wanted you to know they'd tell you sooner or later. At least that was how Cassidy had been raised and from the lack of city-folk curiosity she guessed it was the same for the brothers. That, she supposed was another thing to be grateful for.

_Amen to that.._

While Merle steered them steadily towards the motel, what they all failed to notice was the figure that moved across the roof and then disappeared.

Parking the truck a safe distance from the motel, taking advantage of a bend in the road so the truck was somewhat concealed and not out in the open, they all got out, Daryl even holding the passenger door open for Cassidy. Not that either brother was chivalrous, it was simply little things that she supposed was imbedded in them, only Daryl slipped up and showed it more often than Merle.

Courage and loyalty they had buckets full of, courteous, gallant and gracious - The Dixon brothers? Not if you were high as a kite.

"Daryl!" Merle got his brothers attention as he handed him a sawed down rifle, slipping his revolver under his belt before going for his favored shotgun. Ammo was lower than either of them would like but Daryl still had his bow and all three of them had at least one knife. As Merle handed Cassidy their other revolver she pulled her trusty axe to her and gave the older brother a wink, in the beginning Merle had laughed in her face about using the axe; saying she was better off with something lighter. Not two days later he'd had to eat up those words.

"Looks like an eight roomer, don't it?"

"Probably a few biters around, maybe check the reception? Should probably stick together." Cassidy offered as Merle tucked the revolver away again.

"Why's tha sweetlip? Don' tell Ol' Merle ya'll suddenly scared.. Maybe ya want tha snuggle up close just tha be safe, hm?" On an impulse Cassidy swatted at his arm as she rested the axe over her shoulder.

"Cut it out. Next thing you'll tell me you've never seen a horror movie in your life.."

"Wha's that got to do with it?" Daryl narrowed his eyes as he shrugged on the strap of his crossbow.

"Cause its typical horror movie shit, a group of people finds an 'abandoned' motel so they go to investigate only they split up after a little while and then BAM!" She raised her voice for emphasis. "They all end up dead, probably murdered by some crazy psycho or in our case, eaten by zombies."

The brothers simply stared at her before Daryl gave a scoff, shaking his head.

"You watch too much damn TV girl." At that Daryl took off, stalking towards the motel and left Cassidy with a clearly amused Merle.

"Have tha agree with baby brother there sweetlip, 'sides they ain't zombies. Didn't rise from no graves, they got bit and got up walkin'.."

"So you do watch horror movies!" Taking in Cassidy's obvious delight at this newfound fact Merle shook his head while he chuckled under his breath.

"Ain't so redneck tha I didn't have a TV."

xxx

It puzzled Cassidy when they didn't find or encounter any walkers at the motel, there were no half eaten bodies or limbs strewn around the establishment – It didn't look clean, not by any means but it was the first proper sized building they'd come across that held no surprises.

"Gonna take a look 'round.." Daryl slipped out the door, it seemed things didn't sit easy with him either, not that she blamed him. Merle however just shook his head and headed to the small 'bar' area next to the reception, probably with every intention of drinking himself into oblivion and so instead of spending the time it took Daryl to come back watching Merle being Merle, Cassidy decided to check out the rooms.

In the unlikely event that she'd run into walkers they hadn't spotted she knew the brothers were close enough that she could simply call out for help if things got too close for comfort, as Cassidy was halfway to one of the motel rooms she realized her 'horror movie scenario' had just played out, they had all separated.

_That was a real clever move there Cassidy, why dontcha just serve yourself up on a silver platter while you're at it!_

Cussing herself for her own stupidity Cassidy debated if she should head on back, maybe try and get one of the brothers to accompany her but she decided against it quickly enough seeing as she could literally hear Merle's laughter ringing in her ear – She was no damsel in distress damn it.

"This isn't some horror flick, fuck sake Cass..." Passing room 3 something caught her attention, a curtain flickered in the wind. Figuring it was as good a place to start as any Cassidy carefully pushed the curtain aside ever so slightly, from her vantage point, couched down beside the open window she couldn't see anything out of place in the room.

_No moaning or groaning either, always a plus._

"You are being so fuckin' paranoid.." Cassidy muttered to herself.

While inwardly calling herself a chicken shit she moved over to the door, reaching for the doorknob and carefully turning it, trying to make as little noise as possible. The door slid open easily enough and though she might not have heard any tell-tale noise that announced the room contained a walker, didn't mean there wasn't one lurking further in, so as she pushed the door open with her foot she took a firm grip of her axe before slipping inside.

The room was empty, the sheets for one of the two beds laid crumbled on the fitted carpet and one of the nightstand lamps was smashed on the floor, probably from someone knocking it over. Taking a breath Cassidy made her way towards the bathroom door, it stood wide open but she couldn't get a clear shot of the entire bathroom from where she was standing, that and she could hear a faint tapping sound. She gripped the handle of the axe and walked in, quickly checking all corners so as not to be taken by surprise.

As she looked around she found that the bathroom window was open and the tapping had been caused by a dried up plant, its twigs tapping on the tiles as the breeze from the open window blew in. Strangely enough the hairs on the back of her neck started to rise and as she turned around the front door of room 3 closed.

xxx

There was an uneasy feel about the place and Daryl was all for trusting his gut instinct, he had that same uneasy feel in the pit of his stomach, the one he used to get whenever his old man was on a bender. Something just didn't sit right with him about the fucking motel, his whole body was as high strung as a damn fawn.

In the back of his head he knew that splitting up had been a bad idea, hell Cassidy had even said it was classic horror movie mistake number 1, but he'd had to look around, get a feel of the place. –He hated not knowing the way out.

Rounding the corner of the motel he froze and stared at the sight in front of him, he had gotten too caught up, missed the scent in the air, the gravel crunching under a boot. He'd picked up on it to late, his body tightening as his head screamed danger. There was a searing pain at the back of his head. – Then everything went black.

xxx

Merle was having no luck locating booze, smokes or hell even pills, one would have thought they'd have stacks of the stuff at motels but fuck no, not when he came around – God damn Dixon luck.

Muttering and tossing a bin across the room he stood up straight and went through the cabinets of the small office one more time, did the fuckers not even have Advil? What a damn joke of a motel.

He figured he'd just have to try his luck elsewhere and maybe one of the rooms had a mini bar that hadn't been rummaged. Narrowing his brows he looked over his shoulder, the fuck was that noise just then…

Walking out of the office and through the reception area he flung the door open and hollered after his baby brother.

"Little brother!... Daryl!" He knew Daryl wouldn't go out of earshot, he knew his brother, he'd stick damn close to this place.

"Cass!" When the woman didn't answer him either he could feel the adrenaline starting to flow through his veins. Someone was playing fucking games with him…

xxx

Two men blocked the only exit out of the room, one of them calmly closing the door shut behind them while the other smiled at her and Cassidy knew she'd never be able to squeeze through the bathroom window even if she managed to get back into the bathroom and lock the door – If the door even had a lock.

_No fea- ah fuck…_

Gripping her axe securely she appraised the two men in front of her, they were both dirty as hell, one of them she guessed was Hispanic, wore a wife-beater that looked to be hanging on its last thread while the other and cargo pants, the kind you see in the military. The other, Caucasian by the looks of it, wore a T-shirt that read 'I'm with stupid'. She didn't find it particularly funny seeing as the Hispanic man he was with carried a fucking M16 – How the hell had he got his hands on that! Former military..?

_Well… Fuck._

"That's some heavy firepower.." Her comment sure made the two men grin and she noticed that the guy with the stupid t-shirt had rotten teeth, inwardly she cringed and griped the axe tighter. Never bring a knife to a gunfight - Well it wasn't a knife… it was an axe, not that it really made a difference.

"Sure is baby, now why don't you lower that fine axe yah got there." By the way they were both leering at her Cassidy knew what was coming and she had no fucking intentions on doing anything either of them said, but the situation sure made her miss her handy-dandy S&W she had tucked in her dresser drawer back home.

"Yeah… Not gonna happen boys, I'm not alone out here." She didn't like the way they were so cock-sure of themselves and as the Hispanic guy raised the M16 and his friend started to circle her, the whole damn thing screamed ambush, they were too sure of themselves for this to be their first time holding someone at gunpoint.

"Your friends won't be any help bitch, our friend's taken care of 'em by now."

_No fear._

"Really? Well… That sucks." Swinging her axe Cassidy dove for the guy with the stupid t-shirt, it caught him by surprise and she could see the axe slice up a red line on the man's forearm when he tried to shield himself, hearing him cry out she got ready for assault number two, only she never got that far as the Hispanic guy joined in to help his friend, clocking her over the head with the butt of his rifle.

_Why the hell didn't he just fired that monster he was carrying..?_

"Get her fucking arms Josef!" Her ears started ringing and then she was dragged forward before one of them shoved at her hard. "Where the fuck is your gun man?!"

"I left it with Gary, aight! Thought the kid could use it."

The hit to her head had done a number on her and Cassidy fell backwards down on one of the beds and felt how the axe was snatched from her hand, she tried to focus and kicked out against one of her attackers but with the whole damn room spinning her aim was way off.

Instead the Hispanic guy, Josef the other one had called him, leaned over her and grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her upper body up while he slammed his knee down into her stomach seeming to take a great deal of pleasure out of the agonized scream he got from her.

xxx

Merle found his baby brother slumped up against the far side wall of the motel, the first thing he noticed was the blood running down the side of Daryl's face and raged welled up inside of him. Nobody fucking laid hands on his brother.

Kneeling down he tried to wake Daryl but didn't get much of a response, instead he patted himself down, finding a handkerchief and pressed it to the wound on Daryl's head. It didn't look to serious, the bleeding had almost stopped on its own, pressing on the wound got a groan out of Daryl and that was something at least.

When he was confident that Daryl was waking up, Merle started to check their surroundings for his brothers weapons, both his rifle and crossbow were missing, hell even his baby brothers buck knife.

He'd been busy searching when he heard the woman scream, taking a second he located the direction of the sound and then took off running, only to catch something in the corner of his eye.

Merle spun around, shotgun raised and fired.

xxx

After the gunshot the two men had paused in their abuse, Cassidy was pressed down on the bed, Josef still pressing his knee into her stomach while his fingers dug cruelly into her scalp.

"Gary knows better than to use up our fuckin' ammo. Paul, tie her up." He muttered.

_Round two… DING!_

Cassidy started to struggle again, having had a few precious seconds to catch her breath, she tried to wiggle her way out from under them but the guy with the stupid t-shirt, Paul, caught onto both her arms and stretched her painfully while he fumbled with something that looked like a piece of cord. Pulling her free knee up she tried to dislodge Josef and even though Paul had a good grip of her arms she managed to slip one hand free and sink her nails into Josef's face.

Hearing him howl in pain almost made up for the beating she received, his fists hailed down on her face, chest and stomach. She felt how her nose cracked and the blood gushing out as well as how he split her lip, already her right eye was swelling up to the point where her sight was impaired.

"Fuck Josef give it a rest will yah! Yar messing up her face for fuck sake!" Josef relented and Paul finished tying Cassidy's hands up above her head, he then attached the cord to the headboard before leaning down to inspect her face.

_No fear._

She spit in his face, gathering up as much blood and spit as she could muster.

Josef laughed as he got off the bed but Paul didn't seem to think it was funny as he baled up his fist and hit her across the face.

"Fucking bitch!"

Cassidy didn't have much fight left in her, all the blows to her head was making her see double, if not triple on her good eye and so when the two men spread her legs she only managed a few poorly aimed kicks at them before her ankles were bound to the beds legs with pieces of torn fabric.

"..You're pathetic… b-both of you… fucking pathetic.." Her voice was barely above a hiss and Cassidy winched when one of them slapped her thigh, she closed her eyes as she felt tears welling up. She would not give them the pleasure of seeing her cry.

xxx

Merle stared down at the man bleeding out at his feet, he didn't look to be much older than twenty with a lanky built, hell the boy didn't reach his shoulders and he was begging. Blood was pouring out of the boys stomach, it was already dark red. There would be no saving him, even if the world hadn't gone to shit.

"Please… oh god please… I… it wasn't my fault.. they.. they forced me… oh god.. I don't wanna die!" By the time the boy started crying for his mama Merle had had enough, he raised his shotgun and fired a second time. – Put him out of his misery.

Looking over his surroundings he could take in what Daryl had stumbled upon before, a graveyard of cars, trucks and even a minivan. Would seem business had been good for the boy and his friends. With a final look of disgust at the body Merle stalked off in the direction he'd heard Cassidy cry out from.

xxx

Paul was on top of Cassidy, feeling his way down her body with both hands, when he came across the knife tucked into her booth she almost whimpered. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Look what we got here… "Her body went stiff as he started to undo her jeans but it seemed he thought of something better because he pulled himself up over her again and pressed the knife to her throat. Cassidy could feel how the blade sunk into her skin, the sting of pain being increased by her panic as she felt something warm run down her neck. She didn't dare to move not even when he started to methodically cut away at her band t-shirt, cutting away one piece at a time, slowly stripping her.

"Who's Kyle hmm? One of your boyfriends..?" She cringed as Paul touched the tattoo above her breast. "Maybe not… got another man's name right there.." He indicated Ben's name on her wrist.

"Fuckin' slut is what she is." Josef sneered.

"Now you must be a real handful, seeing as someone already tried to teach you a lesson… One of your boyfriends?" Paul ran his fingers over the scars on her stomach and Cassidy had to bite her already split lip to not cry. "You don't listen do you bitch?"

With a smile he pulled at one of the bra straps and cut it off.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you."

xxx

The door flew open and Paul stopped Cassidy's torment momentarily as Josef; his friend raises the M16 and aimed it at Merle as he strolled in through the door opening.

"Yah all havin' a party without me, huh?" Even outnumbered two to one with an M16 pointed at him, Merle was an imposing sight, shotgun in one hand, revolver in the other. Looking between the two he didn't seem to be in much of a hurry as Paul licked his lips nervously.

"Hey man, if you want a piece of her first… I mean that's cool." As Paul got off of Cassidy Merle looked over at her for the first time since he entered the room, his eyes cold and that grin of his turned cruel. She couldn't help but panic, the weeks spent in the man's company faded away and all that remained was the horror of being tied down on a bed, almost naked in a room with three men. She started to struggle frantically, the cords cutting into her wrists. – Her dread clear as day on her face.

Something was then suddenly thrown in through the open window, Cassidy caught it out of the corner of her eye and the bed next to her was set aflame, Merle fired his shotgun and Josef fell to the ground as Daryl came in through the open door behind Merle, firing his crossbow, hitting Paul in the chest. When his eyes find Cassidy he goes pale, taken back by the sight of her tied down on the bed and couldn't seem to move until Merle shoved him forward before walking over toward the two bodies on the floor.

"Take care of Cassie.." Daryl gave nod but couldn't tear his eyes off of Cassidy's bloody and bruised face, slowly he made his way to the side of the bed and he almost stepped back when he saw how she cringed away from him, pulling frantically at the cords holding her hands together.

"Woah, easy.." His voice soft, soothing as if he was trying to calm down a spooked horse, he leant over and patiently wait for her to stop struggling before cutting off the cord, as he did Cassidy quickly sat up, covering her chest with her arms. She's begun to shake something awful and not knowing what to do Daryl picked up the torn sheet from the floor and handed it to her, he didn't want to spook her again by wrapping it around her himself.

"Aint even fucking loaded! … Merle bellowed as he tossed the M16 he'd been inspecting across the room and then kicked Josef's corpse for good measure. His attention turned to Paul and he grins cruelly. "One of these bastards is still breathin'.."

"Gonna get your legs free, a'right." Cassidy didn't respond but she didn't try to pull away or start to struggle again when he reached for her ankle and started to untie her.

Meanwhile Merle was dragging a barely breathing Paul out of the room, once they were out of sight all Cassidy could hear were fists connecting with flesh. She clutched the sheets to her chest, drops of blood staining the fabric as it dripped from her chin, when Daryl released her from the binds she didn't scramble away only sagged over slightly, her body running on dry.

"Can ya stand on your own?" Daryl took a few steps back and now watched her like one she was that spooked horse again. Cassidy shook her head, winching as she did. So Daryl shouldered his crossbow and awkwardly scooped her up in his arms and slowly made his way out of the room. Outside there was no sign of Merle or Paul, until something snapped above them.

Looking up, they both spotted Merle, pulling a noose over Paul's head, securing it around his neck. Daryl tightened his grip around Cassidy as she tried to slide down to the ground but relented when he saw how she was hyperventilating, not wanting her to crumble to the ground but not wanting to risk her setting in for hysteria he settled with holding her steady by both her arms, her body leaning against his. Then he again looked up at his brother.

"Merle…"

" Wha, not polite enough? Gonna make a fucking example out of him brother, get tha woman out of here." Then Merle unceremoniously kicked Paul over the edge of the motel roof, hanging him. Only he didn't spasm or even twitch, seemed Paul was already dead, still, Cassidy couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his dangling body.

She could feel how tense Daryl was already, given the situation and the last thing she wanted was to make him more uncomfortable but as her legs started to give out she couldn't help herself, her body leaning heavily into his frame. It seemed to snap Daryl out of whatever dark place he was at and he too could tear his eyes away from Merle and the hanged body, slipping a hand around her waist he started to lead her away from the motel, towards their truck.

xxx

As the sun was setting Cassidy sat in the Dixon truck, dabbing her face with a damp washcloth, letting out a hiss every now and again as she cleaned up her bloodied face, both brothers were standing outside, in silence, trying not to watch.

"Was a stupid idea to split up…" Daryl murmured after awhile, Cassidy lowered the cloth and carefully turned her head to look at him, as she did Merle placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, tapping it once – twice.

"…Ain't gonna happen again."

* * *

**So… this was… urgh to write, I have major issues writing scenes like this because as soon as I start I have this urge to chop people like that up into itty-tiny pieces and then set them on fire – But I can't do that! Because then the relationship between Cass and the brothers wouldn't grow! And I want it to, Cass needs to know she can trust them when they are in a tight spot ^^ Not always easy to trust Merle, think Daryl proved that when he tried his brother was gonna kill him in that fighting pit.. **

**Anyways, no more ranting. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and much love to all you readers! Chapter 15 of TNHE will be up soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'**Be courteous to all, but intimate with few and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence…'**

(Takes place right after the latest chapter of GETLL)

_Wonderful, a broken nose – again... _

Cassidy caught a passing glance of her reflection in the rear-view mirror and flinched, more out of shock and dismay then actually pain - Thought there was plenty of that to go around.

She could hear the brother's muted voices from outside, they were going through the bed of the truck, looking to see if anything was missing and what they could use before going back to the motel. She'd caught snippets of their conversation, Cassidy still wasn't sure she wanted – could, go back there and the more she let those thoughts get leeway over her the more pissed off she got. The men that had done this to her were dead, what the hell was she afraid of?

_She didn't know… Did she?_

Her bottom lip trembled and she had to shut her eyes closed to suppress the tears from falling, she clutched the bloody rag in her hand and took a shuddering breath. That was what she was afraid of, of losing what little control she had over herself, to crumble into uselessness and be reduced to a sobbing mess. It brought back all kinds of memories, memories of her boyfriend, of the horrors that she had let go on for years, mostly she thought about how disappointed her brothers had been through those years of her life.

That, she supposed was why she'd put up such resistance back at the motel, even though doing so had earned her nothing but pain. She hated being weak, being useless.

ooo

The bathroom mirror was cracked, a few pieces lying scattered in the sink but Cassidy couldn't be bothered to pick them up, it wasn't the first time he'd broken mirrors or furniture, she simply continued to stare at her reflection – Stare at the bruise blooming on her cheek.

He didn't hit her very often and when he did he always seemed to manage to leave marks where no one would see them, her arms, legs, back or stomach, hell, even the back of her neck. And like every other time, he would apologies, say how he didn't mean it, that he'd been too high or too drunk to think clearly, she had her doubts. If he wasn't able to think clearly when he did it, how-come he only hit her where it wouldn't show?

_No man hits a woman without damn well meaning to do it… _

Her father's words rang in her ears and Cassidy tore her stare away from her reflection, her fingers trailing over the bruise on her cheek. It was the second time he'd hit her face, the second time he'd looked at her and asked why the hell she continued to provoke him.

She didn't know.

All Cassidy had done was go visit her brother Ben, he was a newlywed and she'd only gone because she didn't want to miss the wedding, she'd tried to explain herself, explain that she'd gone to her brother's wedding alone because he'd told her he didn't want to go – It had only served to make him angry.

_Why do you let him…?_

She didn't know.

The door to their apartment slammed shut and Cassidy jumped at the sound and vibrations that carried through the whole of the apartment, she could already smell the liquor, could hear the ruffling of the plastic bag.

He was home.

"Andrew?" She peaked out through the bathroom door, shutting herself off, pulling back all her thoughts and emotions, wrapping them tight and stuffing them in a box, locking them up. Cassidy had learned quickly to get a wrap over her emotions, to not let her thoughts roam freely, it was a skill she'd harnessed over a period of almost seven years.

Cassidy had learned that speaking her mind, especially if it was something she disagreed on with him, he'd get angry, if she didn't perform the way he wanted, he'd get angry and if he thought that she wasn't paying attention to him… She'd get one hell of a beating ones he was good and drunk.

"Who else..." Came his drawled reply, he was already too far gone.

_Why are you still here…?_

She didn't know.

ooo

There was a worse possibility then going back to the motel she realized, she could be left behind – Alone.

Carefully Cassidy eased herself out of the seat of the pickup, clenching her jaw tightly as her feet came in contact with the asphalt, her limbs protesting loudly. Brushing aside her haphazardly made up braid, she found herself standing right in front of Merle, her first instinct was to chide away, to huddle in defense but she refused to listen to that scared little voice and instead lifted her chin, staring straight into the blues of his eyes.

"Watcha think yar doin' hmm?" He grumbled.

"I'm coming with you.." Grimacing at the state of her voice Cassidy started to massage her throat tentatively, that's what you get for screaming yourself hoarse.

"Tsk, hell ya are." Merle spit at the ground before turning around and walking back to the bed of the truck, continuing to rummage through it. He was already carrying enough firepower to blow the motel into kingdom come, granted he probably didn't want to take any risks this time around.

"Daryl coming with you, aint he?" The younger brother had yet to actually look at her and it was making the whole thing that much more uncomfortable, especially since he was being deliberate about it.

"Yeah."

"Then I am to, not gonna sit around here by myself." Cassidy set off a row of curses in her head when she had to lean against the truck to not fall on her ass, it earned her a snort from Merle.

"Can hardly stand woman, not gonna have ya draggin' me down."

It shouldn't have hurt, during their time together he'd said and done things to her that were much more hurtful, this didn't even reach the top ten, yet it stung worse than the others.

_Are you useless?_

"You leave me here by myself and I'll take the fucking truck and drive off." That caught both brothers' attention and as if on cue they both turned to glare at her. Not backing down Cassidy simply glared back. "So do it… I fucking dare you."

The challenge lit Merle's fuse.

_What had her Nan said about poking the bear?_

"This aint some fuckin' game woman!" He bellowed, stalking back towards her, his outburst made her panic, made her stumble back, stubbing her elbow and hip against the open door and as this new pain shot through her already overloaded system Cassidy had had enough, enough of being frightened, of cowering just cause Merle raised his voice – She snapped.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!?" Her outburst shut Merle up, that was for sure, and with wide eyes Cassidy stared at him. She'd never yelled much less screeched like a lunatic, not since the world had gone to hell, not before she met up with the brothers and sure as hell not after. It made you a target, attracted unwanted attention.

_It was plain stupid…_

"I know it's not a goddamn game Dixon! I just…. Fuck!" Cassidy ran a hand through the front of her hair in frustration, her fingers getting tangled in the knots of her hair, her bottom lip trembled, shit her whole body was trembling. She was doing a piss poor job at keeping her emotions in check and she knew it, but damn… Could they honestly not tell? "I don't.. I **won't **stay here alone."

Couldn't they tell she was scared?

"…Shit" Merle stood a few feet away from her, giving her a measured, calculated look. He looked lost standing there with his hands hanging slack at his sides instead of being curled into fists and he couldn't meet her gaze, couldn't look at her.

Tears were clouding her vision and Cassidy blinked, spilling more tears down her cheeks, she hadn't even realized she'd begun to cry, she hated it – Crying in front of people.

Wiping at her eyes furiously Cassidy heaved herself back up into the seat of the truck, her injuries be damned, as she flung herself inside she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from screaming out loud. Her ribs were in a piss poor state, well they could join her nose, guts and head, make it into one huge fucking party.

She slammed the door shut when she was seated, refused to look in the rearview mirror or out the side-windows, damned if she was going to make more of a spectacle of herself.

_Now they know… Whoop-dee-fucking-doo._

ooo

"WHY?! WHY CASS?! "Cassidy knew it didn't matter what answer she gave him, it wouldn't be enough either way, wouldn't be the right one, the one he wanted to hear. So she said nothing, just clutched the thin paper fabric of the hospital-gown closer to her chest, refusing to acknowledge how scared she was.

"God... Cass why… Why would you do something so horrible to me?" Andrew looked wild, his hair standing on all ends from tugging and clawing at it with his fingers, he'd barricaded the door out into the hallway with the second, empty hospital bed and her only escape was either the bathroom, where he'd only get in eventually or jump out the window – Only to fall five floors down.

If she could get to either of those places, her body was weak, she could barely lift her head from the pillow, so when he'd come bursting into her room Cassidy hadn't been able to get out of the hospital bed, try as she might.

_Or you can face him…_

"Answer ME!" He was in front of her now, his breath reeking of whiskey, a week old stubble on his cheeks, his clothes were haphazard and she just knew he hadn't bother to chance clothes since she'd seen him last.

_Face him._

Lifting her face, jutting her chin out defiantly she stared up at him, the man she'd loved – At least for the first three years.

"It was the right thing to do." Her voice was steady; she thanked whichever deity would listen for that, and Cassidy refused to look away, she stared right at him.

"The right… the right thing to do…" Andrew looked amused, as if she'd said something ludicrous, then he looked angry, so very angry. "The right thing?" He pointed an accusing finger at her, the rest of his hand wrapped around the large whiskey bottle he'd brought with him.

"Yes, it was the right thing to do." Maybe she finally dared to talk back to him, to face him because somewhere deep down; Cassidy knew she was going to die. Andrew would never let her get away with this, she knew he would be angry when he found out, but she hadn't taken into consideration the fact that he'd track her down and barricade himself in a room with her. So she knew he would beat her and he probably wouldn't stop – She was going to die.

"YOU KILLED MY BABY CAUSE YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?!" The bottle shattered over the railing of the hospital bed, Andrew's face hovered over her, red and grotesque. How was it possible that she had once thought him so beautiful?

…

ooo

There was a slight panic creeping over her, Cassidy couldn't for the life of her find her locket, rummaging through her backpack she tore through pocket after pocket, pulling out some spare clothes, water bottle, dried goods, even her solar cell-phone charger.

_Where the hell is it!?_

Breathing a sigh of relief Cassidy clutched onto her cell-phone, attached to its strap hung a silver locket with purple gemstones. The two things she treasured most in this world.

_Thank god… _

Pushing the rest of her stuff back in her backpack, Cassidy turned her cell-phone on, waiting for it to start up she placed the charger up on the dashboard, she couldn't find her earphones but at the moment that didn't bother her. All she wanted to do was see her family again. The screen lit up and Cassidy let out a watery laughter at the picture that met her, it was of her nephews, taken last winter with both of them covered in snow, bright grinning faces.

Cassidy continued on smiling even as the tears started to fall yet again, she picked her way through the folders and found what she was looking for – 'Family Album vol 4.'

She'd never been big on computers, it had always been her brother Robert, or Kyle that pushed her into getting an upgrade or install something new, but one thing she loved, was keeping photo albums, obviously not in the traditional sense. Cassidy was always moving around all the time and she couldn't drag large heavy leather-bound albums with her wherever she went, so she stored the pictures on USB's.

So whenever she was feeling homesick or just wanted to see her family, all she had to do was well… either call them up, or she could scroll through years and years of pictures, happy days, happy memories. She'd even made Ben get a scanner so she could capture older photos on her memory-sticks, photos of her father and mother, of her brothers and herself growing up.

"There you are…" Cassidy smiled down at the familiar faces, smiling back at her. It was a rare family photo; everyone was there, Robert, Ben, Marissa and the kids, Jack, Kyle and herself. Her father had passed away before he ever got to see his grandchildren, but there were other family photos with him, she only had one of her mother and Kyle thought. Robert had snuck in between the doctor visiting and his father, pacing around, and he had placed Kyle in his mother's arms and taken a picture. Cassidy loved that picture, though not as much as Kyle had.

_Kyle…_

Scrolling down through the different pictures Cassidy found the one she was looking for, gently trailing her fingertip over the screen, over her brother's face. He was looking straight at the camera, his hair messy, one eyebrow lifted and that teasing half-smile he always wore. She covered her hand with her mouth as she started to sob, pressing her phone against her chest, holding it close – God, how she needed her brother's here with her.

"I need you… I can't… I can't do this anymore.. I want you here, I need you **here**." Wrapping her arms around herself Cassidy tried to stop crying, the tears stinging the cuts on her face, she'd cried more times during the end of the world then she had during her teenage years for god's sake and it was painful, her desperate breaths for air snapping at her bruised ribs.

When the passenger door opened she couldn't help but groan, Cassidy hated when people saw her cry, this was made worse by the fact that Daryl stood there at the open door looking like he was going to bolt any second, surprising her and possibly himself however, Daryl heaved himself up in the seat, shutting the passenger door with a _thud_.

Before she knew it he had reached over, snatched the dirty – more than likely, damp rag from her hand and was now holding out another one for her to take, all the while avoiding eye contact like the plague. She didn't want him here, not in the truck, not anywhere he could witness the pitiful mess she'd become, so she ignored the rag he was holding out and instead proceeded to shut down her phone.

Daryl's hand touched hers, no more than a second, stopping her.

"Aint gotta do that…" Pulling back his hand he scratched at his stubble before letting his hand wander up into his hair, he was looking mighty uncomfortable. "Your family?"

Cassidy didn't trust her voice so she gave him a nod, peering at him through her eyelashes and for once Daryl met her eyes.

"That there one of your brothers?" He was speaking to her in such a soft tone of voice, it was different from the one he'd used before back at the motel when he'd tried to calm her down, then it had been all quiet murmurs and reassurances. Now, now it was like he was trying his damndest to be kind. Cassidy couldn't really tell, it was hard to read him, but Daryl wasn't looking like he was going to leave anytime soon, so she spoke up.

"Kyle… The youngest." Her eyes dropped down to the lit up screen of her phone, the picture of her brother warming her now, no tears – All pride.

"Aight, from the tattoo I did for ya." It was a statement, not a question and again Cassidy only offered up a nod but switched pictures, this one showing Ben with his own family.

"My brother Ben with his wife, his two kids.. Second oldest."

They sat there in the truck for a long time, Cassidy showing Daryl picture after picture of her brothers, even one or two of her father and mother. The atmosphere changed from being tense and nervy to a companionable one, it was the first time they'd ever spent any significant time alone together, talking. Every other time they'd both been busy with one thing or another or Merle had been around, he was usually the one to stand for most of the conversation, binding together the two odd ends that were Cassidy and Daryl, making them a group.

"That's my Nan, she passed away a few years ago.."

"Looks like a firecracker that one." Daryl did his half-smile as he studied the old woman in the picture. Cassidy gave a soft chuckle, her spirit uplifted.

"Don't know the half of it, one time when I was a teenager I came over and I found her in the bathroom brewing moonshine!" She managed a grin. "The only damn comment she made 'bout it was that I better not tell dad or she'd put me over her knee. The woman was eighty-two!"

"Ya tell yar pops?" Daryl wanted to know.

"Hell no! She might have broken a hip doing it but she'd have put me over her knee and then I wouldn't have been able to sit for a month!" That earned her a quick half-smile from Daryl before the truck rocked slightly and he peered out through the passenger window, Merle was busy unloading his bike.

"Common, 'bout time ya stretched yar legs.." Without waiting for Cassidy to respond he jumped out and shut the passenger door, looking back Cassidy frowned but shut down her cell-phone, tucked the charger and locket into her backpack before following him out.

"Gonna take the truck down to tha motel, wanna load up wha food and water I saw down there, ya better not lay her down little brother or I'll fuckin' kill ya!" Merle poked his finger at Daryl's chest and the younger brother had a scowl of annoyance on his face.

"Aint the first damn time I've been on it." Merle just _tsked_ and walked up next to Cassidy, careful not to stand to close.

"Ever been on a motorcycle before sweetlip?" At her confused expression Merle's lips spread into that shit eating grin of his and he nodded back at Daryl who was already mounting the bike. "My baby's been cooped up to long, she needs a good stretch, go on." Merle moved behind her, giving Cassidy a light shove, pulled open the driver's door and pulled himself up in the seat.

"I better not see a god damn scratch on her Daryl!" He hollered out through the rolled down window. Cassidy continued to look back and forth between the two brothers, Merle was being… nice - Had hell froze over?

Her brows narrowed in thought before her face lit up ever so slightly, she hadn't been on a motorcycle since Jack had been down for a visit four years ago.

Noticing Daryl's stiff posture Cassidy felt her excitement dim somewhat, he couldn't possibly be comfortable with the idea of her pressed up close behind him, true she didn't know how long a ride they were going for, but he was already looking miserable.

"Daryl we don't hav-.." She didn't get any further before Daryl cut her off.

"Get on tha damn bike already! Ya heard Merle, he's takin' the truck down at the motel, we're gonna check up ahead for a place to bunk down, now git." With a jerk of his head he urged her over and Cassidy started to nibble on her bottom lip as she crossed the distance between them and then swung her leg over the side of the motorcycle, placing her hand on Daryl's shoulder as she steadied herself and got in a more comfortable position.

Merle started up the truck, gave them a wave and then left them in a cloud of dust. Coughing irritably Daryl started up the bike.

"He was sure ya would refuse, would wanna go with 'im instead." Cassidy could feel how Daryl tensed and how his muscles jumped as she moved around, pressed against him, touching him.

"Fuck… He's goin' there by himself, I wasn't thinking.." She felt rather stupid at her discovery, considering what had happened when they'd split up just earlier the same damn day.

"I'm kiddin', he needs ta blow of some steam, best not ta be around." Then the motorcycle was kicked into action and Cassidy instinctively wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist, his whole body went stiff but after just a passing moment he relaxed again and they were off.

ooo

She was damn sick of hospital-gowns, why the hell were they made of paper and bare at the back? There was probably a reasonable, logical answer to that question but Cassidy couldn't give a damn at the moment. She wanted out.

It had been a month since the brutal visit from Andrew, her brothers had been in and out on a regular basis, it had gone two weeks before they'd agreed on leaving her on her own after she'd woken up from surgery, having either crashed in a chair in her room or bunking down out in the hall. She was still wondering about that, they had caved way too easily when she'd told them to stop sleeping at the hospital, her brothers were usually much more pigheaded – There had been no sign of Andrew.

Cassidy was now the proud owner of a hideous scar that covered most of her lower stomach, the doctors had been amazing though, she was apparently still able to have children, should she ever want to, but they were no beauty surgeons and so the wound had scarred badly. The glass and jagged edges from the bottle had made it all the more difficult to work with, but she was alive and kicking, what did she have to complain about?

Perhaps the fact that her family was shipping her off to rehab? Her father had put his foot down about that, it was non-negotiationable. No, she couldn't complain about that, wouldn't. Cassidy knew she couldn't kick the 'bad habits' as she called them, on her own, she would need help. At least now she was free of him, her tormentor - she hoped.

When Cassidy had confronted her brother's about what they had done Robert had told her not to worry, they had taken care of it. Still, she had wanted to know, had they beat him up? Handed him over to the Sheriff? …Had they killed him?

Jack had lifted an amused eyebrow at that and asked. "Wha, think we've buried him out in the backyard?"

There was a distinct possibility of that.

The door to her room opened and Ben strolled in with a wheelchair, to which Cassidy grimaced.

"Necessary evil sis, now don't fuss or I'll hand ya over to Jack and that man has no idea what 'handle with care' means." So Cassidy voiced no complaint, as long as they took her out of this damn hospital she would behave.

"Marissa is waiting with the car."

ooo

For a good while Cassidy simply enjoyed the ride, the air rushing over them, the passing scenery. That was the thing she loved most about riding a motorcycle, the freedom – they were gliding down the road. Her body ached, for sure, but the vibrations of the engine, the warmth from the Georgia heat and from Daryl's back, it all helped to sooth and push back the pain.

During their ride Cassidy had tucked her chin down behind Daryl's right shoulder, her hands having a light grip of his shirt, while at first he'd been tense he'd simply taken a breath and relaxed. It made the ride that much smoother now, with both of them relaxed, even as they were pressed up close to one another- Lost in the moment.

Both brothers seemed to do their damndest to be on their best behavior.

He smelled nice, Cassidy had caught herself breathing in Daryl's scent, he smelled like the woods, Georgia soil and sweat. There was a hint of gunpowder and the copper tang of blood as well, but she forced that out of her mind, not wanting to think about earlier.

"You both planned this, didn't you?" Breaking the silence Cassidy asked Daryl, she was pretty sure Merle hadn't just decided to hand his precious bike over to Daryl and take a drive down to the motel, no matter the amount of steam he needed to blow off or how good he tried to behave.

Daryl didn't answer her right away though, they took a curve and continued down the road, riding past a fallen tree, before she felt more than heard him sigh.

"Didn't do ya any good, sittin' in tha truck." Cassidy had nothing to add to that and so she stayed quiet, enjoying the feeling of the air running through her thick braid - They were going at enough of a speed for her braid to flutter in the air behind her.

"Thought this would be better for ya…" He was more than likely embarrassed, having to admit it, but both he and Merle had made an effort, had cared enough about her to try and fix things…

Feeling new tears well up in her eyes Cassidy ducked her head down behind Daryl's back, she was due for her period soon, that was why she was getting so damn emotional about everything.

_Yeah… That has to be it._

* * *

**So here it is, the continuation of the previous chapter, I think this wrapped it up nicely. I don't see the Dixon boys as people who would hug her and say sweet words to try and make her feel better, actions speak louder than words. **

**In this chapter a few 'secrets' have shown their ugly heads, there is still much that you don't know about Cassidy but we're getting there! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and as always thank you everyone for reading 3**


End file.
